Feeder



J- E. I ERB. Straw Cutter.

' No. 2,473. Patented July 2, 1850.

I a/6w? UNITED STATEh PATENT @FFTCFE. T

' JOHN E. EBB, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

FEEDER or sTRAW-oUTTnns.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 7,473, dated July 2, 1850.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. EBB, of the city andcounty of Baltimore andState of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMachines for Cutting Ears of Corn, Straw, Cornstalks and other Fodder,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the annexed drawings of the same, making part ofthis specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of thefront of the machine, Fig. 2 a similar view of the front and side of themachine, Fig. 3 is a similar view of the back of a fragment of themachine embracing the upper feed roller, the guard piece, the back ofthe knife, a portion of the feed apron, and a part of the main frame,and Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the back roller around which thefeed apron is stretched and the mode of adjusting it to tighten theapron.

My invention consists of a new combination and arrangement of deviceswhich together constitute a machine for cutting ears of corn,cornstalks, straw and other fodder, at once simple, efficient anddurable.

The machine consists of a strong frame (V) on the top of which ismounted the main driving shaft in suitable bearings; one end of thisshaft is fitted with a crank M to which the power to drive the machineis applied, and near the middle of the shaft a spur wheel I is securedwhich gears into a pinion (J) mounted on the counter shaft (J on one endof the counter shaft the balance wheel (H) is secured which tends toprevent jarring, and causes the machine to run with greater steadinessand regularity; the countershaft is also fitted with two eccentrics K Kthat communicate an alternating motion to the knife P suspended to themby the rods (N N) the latter being fitted with suitable straps toembrace the eccentric. The knife P is at tached to a stock O which runsin vertical guides 0 the stock is hinged to the lower end of theeccentric rods, N N.

The apparatus by which the straw or other fodder to be cut is fed to theknife consists of an endless apron Z Figs. 3 and 4;, a feed roller XFig. 4, and suitable machinery for giving motion to them; this apron isstretched on rollers within the trough V one of the rollers being acrossthe front of the trough and stationary, the other being across its rearend and adjustable by means of a screw Y Fig. t; the journal of thefront roller of the apron projects beyond the outside of the frame andon its projecting end is secured a ratchet wheel B operated by a click Aattached to a lever A, a star wheel which gears into and drives a starwheel C on the axis of the upper feed roller; the lever A is operated bya connecting rod F jointed to its outer end and connected to a wrist pinG on one of the arms of the balance wheel. A pawl D on the side of theframe works in the teeth of the ratchet wheel and prevents it fromturning back ward by the pressure of the knife against the materialbeing cut. The journals of this upper feed roller X are placed in a slotin the frame to allow it to rise and fall to accommodate itself to thethickness of the sheet of fodder being fed to the knife; a spring Ebears upon either end of the journals of this roller to cause it topress upon the sheet of fodder with the requisite force to draw it alongthe trough to the knife. Between the upper feed roller and the knife anadjustable guard piece S Fig. 3 is placed; it consists of a rectangularbar of wood or iron, its ends being fitted into guides (s' Fig. 3) inwhich it slides up and down; these guides are adjacent and parallel tothose in which knife stock slides. This guard piece should be placed asnear the knife as possible and is adjusted and held at a heightcorresponding to the thickness of the sheet of fodder passing under itby means of pins T passing through holes (27) in the side of the frameinto the ends of the guard bar. To raise or lower this bar it is merelynecessary to withdraw the pins from one hole and insert them in anotherthat will hold it in the required position. The ofiice of this guardpiece is to prevent that portion of the sheet of fodder or ear of cornback of the knife from rising up by the pressure of the knife whilecutting off that part of it which projects in front of the knife. Bythus holding the material being cut firmly down upon the lower orstationary knife it cuts more easily, and wet fod- 'der and ears of cornwhich can scarcely be cut at all in the ordinary cutting machine are outwith great ease by the aid of this guard piece.

In front of the lower or stationary knife r is placed a stationary bar Qto support What I claim as my invention is that part of the sheet offodder in front of The guard piece S, in combination With the knifeWhile being cut ofl'the space bethe feed rollers to carry the straw orother tween this supporting bar and the front material to the cutters asdescribed. 5 edge of the stationary knife 7' is barely sufli- Intestimony whereof I have hereunto 15 cient to alloW the reciprocatingknife P to subscribed my name. enter between them, this front supportingJOHN E. ERB. piece greatly facilitates the cutting, by af- Witnesses:fording a firm support for the front end of ALFRED ARNOLD, 10 thefodder. P. H. WATSON.

